Despite this, JC Denton remains a popular and iconic video game character, with critics citing his deadpan humor as a memorable aspect.

Kirk Hamilton in Kotaku writes "J.C. Denton, by way of our actions, became a hero or a monster, and that transformation was largely reflected through the lens of his brother Paul.

"[6] In the original, Denton begins as a newly graduated nano-augmented agent of UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition), fighting the secessionist NSF in New York.

Denton brings about the collapse of globalized civilization but merges with Helios; however, this merger becomes problematic, almost killing him and forcing him into cryogenic stasis.

His two accomplices, Paul and scientist Tracer Tong, both seek to bring about his plans while he is in stasis, by forming the organisation ApostleCorp.

[7] This exclamation can be heard in the game shouted by Walton Simons if the player chooses to kill the prisoners while he interrogates them downstairs at UNATCO headquarters.

Characterizing him as a futuristic version of Sherlock Holmes, the site pointed to his intelligence, resourcefulness, and loner attitude as making him effective, while also calling him a "walking biochemistry project" due to his augmentations.

Calling JC a "bloody joker" and "an embodiment of action hero one-liner cheekiness who lightens the tone of a game at just the right moments", he cited witty retorts made by Denton to the leader of the NSF and fellow agent Anna Navarre.

Explaining that Denton had "likeable brashness", Zak called him "a bit of a dick, but in an irreverent way", noting that the game had not, like its successors, tried to take its "crackpot" narratives overly seriously.

[11] Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton wrote that the player embodied Denton's motivation by pressing the "W" key, allowing him to become either a hero or a monster, while the transformation was depicted via the lens of his brother.